The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrates its 30th birthday this year. The fan-favourite attraction was the very first modern vertical drop ride that could brake on a vertical track. But it was a first in so many more ways. It was also the first dark ride that featured scenes in a vertical direction, a ‘vertical dark ride’. Over the last 30 years, there has been a slow but steady increase of vertical dark rides all over the world.
How did this trend develop? And more importantly, where is this trend going?
The vertical dark ride: taking a 90° turn
Ever since its introduction, some years before the start of the 20th century, the dark ride has been a popular and very typical amusement and/or theme park attraction. The Dark Ride Database, a key source of information on dark rides, defines it as an attraction with a transportation system that takes riders through a building, with show scenes.
During roughly the first 100 years of their existence, this type of attraction has been moving guests horizontally through the building, going from scene to scene in a forward motion. Of course, some dark rides feature a second floor. But even then, the show scenes always followed each other up in the same forward motion of the vehicle, as if it were placed horizontally.
Over the last 30 years, we have witnessed an upcoming variant—one that can be called the ‘vertical dark ride’. A vertical dark ride does not feature a traditional car or boat ride system. Instead, it has a ride system that can move up and down vertically. Scenes are stacked above each other rather than next to each other. This change of direction opens up a whole new era for dark rides.
The first (outdoors) vertical free-fall attractions started to appear in the first half of the ‘80s. It was a thrilling attraction, but the technology behind the free fall was not as advanced as it is nowadays. In this first-generation free fall, a carriage holding four persons vertically drops down a tower, turns horizontally and brakes in the same way a roller coaster does. During this horizontal transition, riders lie on their backs.
The possessed elevator
In the following years, Walt Disney Imagineering often tried out different designs for its own version of the free fall. However, the part where riders would lie on their backs was always off-putting for the imagineers. It wasn’t until the early ‘90s that then-Disney CEO Micheal Eisner pushed to create a free-fall attraction for Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Orlando, Florida).
The result opened in 1994: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (also commonly known as simply ‘Tower of Terror’). The imagineers came up with a theme tied to The Twilight Zone TV series (1959-1964). This tells the story of an old abandoned hotel. Many years ago, during a freakish thunderstorm, the hotel was hit by lightning. Five people who were standing in an elevator mysteriously vanished.
Today’s guests are invited to enter a service elevator and see if they can unravel the mystery of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
A new, unique ride system was created for the attraction. It consists of a trackless car ride system and several high-speed elevators. These elevators can brake without turning riders on their backs.
It resulted in the first of what can now be called a vertical dark ride. Although in reality, it is more of a hybrid between a horizontal and vertical dark ride, the most important movement of the ride system consists of a vertical motion, and it contains show scenes on multiple levels of the building. This hybrid ride system is unique to the Florida resort. Later versions are purely an elevator ride with show scenes vertically stacked above each other.
Telling a different story
The theme of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror illustrates the unique possibilities of a vertical dark ride. Every day, millions of elevators worldwide transport even more people from floor to floor. Yet no one had created an elevator-like attraction before.
The possibility of the attraction going vertical created the perfect conditions for the story, and the imagineers were right to identify the initial brake system of a free-fall attraction as a problem. Ending with riders on their backs would not have fit a story involving an elevator cabin.
Tower of Terror was a huge success and it did not take long for another park to come up with an answer: Phantasialand (Brühl, Germany) was the first in 1998 with Mystery Castle, its largest thrill ride to that date. With an elaborate storyline and heavily themed queue line, the attraction tells the story of the cursed family ‘Von Windhoven’. The attraction itself serves as an invention by Uld Von Windhoven, the youngest of the family. It is a machine that combines the energy of all riders to try and lift the curse.
Mystery Castle features six gondolas that are placed along the walls of the 65-meter-high tower. The gondolas face inwards so that guests can see each other during the ride. The ride sequence shoots gondolas up and down the tower, stopping at different levels.
A key step in the evolution of the vertical dark ride
Apart from some light and sound effects, the attraction does not feature any ‘dark ride’- scenes (as specified by the Dark Ride Database) during the ride sequence. Therefore, it is not considered to be a true (vertical) dark ride. The elaborate storyline does make Mystery Castle an important step in the evolution of vertical dark rides. It would have been revolutionary if the attraction contained actual show scenes.
Mystery Castle is a fan-favourite in Phantasialand. But, unlike Tower of Terror, it does not feature a story that can only be told with a vertical ride system. The machine that Von Windhoven created could very well be any other metaphoric thrill ride. This shows that the applications of a good vertical dark ride are not limitless.
The vertical motion of the ride system needs to make sense in the story. A vertical dark ride that follows a group of friendly rabbits, where, even though the gondola is moving up a floor, each scene would take place on the ground of a forest, would not make much sense.
A story like this can more sensibly be told with a traditional ride system. But a story that follows a family of squirrels in that same forest, climbing from the ground towards the top of the trees, would justify the use of a vertical ride system and will result in an experience that is vastly different from a traditional dark ride.
The spark of an idea
The first true non-Disney vertical dark ride appeared in an unexpected location: underneath London Bridge train station. It was the original location of the London Dungeon from Merlin Entertainments.
The operator was considering adding a dark ride. Together with Nick Farmer, CEO of Farmer Attraction Development, they examined the undeveloped space: “They had imagined it would have to be a tracked ride on the floor. I was standing in the space, thinking about it,” says Farmer. The space was really not big enough for a ride on the floor, but it was high. So I was looking and thinking, ‘Well, we could do a drop.’”
Farmer was inspired by Mystery Castle and pitched a drop ride: “That [Mystery Castle] was the first dark ride drop ride that I’ve been on. I thought the Phantasialand ride was really good and it showed me how effective a dark ride can be as a tower.”
The ride that Farmer pitched was approved almost immediately. It was to be called ‘Extremis’ (at the point of death) and featured a story about the first time the so-called’ long drop’ was used to execute convicted felons, in which the guests are sentenced to death, and the sudden drop simulates the hanging. It is a gruesome story, but one that would not be the same with a traditional ride system.
Extremis shows another advantage of the vertical dark ride: it requires a much smaller footprint than a traditional dark ride. It does require height, but that was not an issue underneath the giant structure of the station. In fact, Merlin Entertainments was able to fit a similar attraction in seven other Dungeon locations around the world, all located in pre-existing buildings.
A different ride system
When the Disney Imagineers designed their first vertical dark ride, they knew that it would require a unique ride system—so unique that they could not turn to a traditional ride manufacturer but instead turned to Otis Elevator Company. With its knowledge and experience, this company was able to create the high-speed elevators that were required.
Vertical dark rides feature different ride systems. Most consist of a small tower attraction, a single gondola moving up and down. Scenes play while the gondola ascends the tower. When the top is reached, the scene comes to a climax, and the gondola drops down into the abyss below.
A vertical dark ride needs a certain height, but this does not have to be a lot. “The advantage of turning a tower ride into a dark ride is that it completely messes with your mind. You sort of completely lose the understanding of how high you actually are,” explains Johan Forbergh, sales manager at ABC Rides.
ABC worked with Merlin Entertainments on the first drop towers and has since created the ride system for many vertical dark rides. “A tower ride of 8 or 10 meters already has a significant level of thrill. And if there is a very good storyline, there is a lot of stuff happening around the drop itself. We don’t need a higher drop than that.”
These drop towers have a much lower capacity compared to Tower of Terror. However, so far, almost every vertical dark ride outside Disney is located in regional parks or attractions like Merlin’s Dungeon. There has not been much need for the high Disney capacity yet.
An exception can be found in another Merlin location: Alton Towers.
Merlin’s vertical dark rides
Nemesis: Sub-Terra is perhaps, after Disney’s Tower of Terror, the most elaborate vertical dark ride in the world. Opened in 2012, it consists of multiple drop towers in a circle (somewhat like Mystery Castle), facing a scene in the middle of the room. Riders board either one of the gondolas, that will have a simultaneous ride sequence.
By doing so, Nemesis: Sub Terra has multiplied its capacity several times. Another significant change to the attraction is that the sequence was reversed: riders board the gondolas at the top level and descend to a second scene below.
For the Berlin Dungeon, Merlin Entertainments requested even a third variation of this drop tower principle. Ride Engineers Switzerland were commissioned to create a ride system where riders board mid-level.
Guests on ‘Freefall Tower Exitus’ expect to go up after boarding, but instead, the gondola falls down to the floor below first. After making it all the way up again, past the boarding station, the ride will drop a second time, this time over the full length of the ride, before returning to the mid-level boarding station again.
But vertical dark rides do not necessarily have to solely go up and down. At Bayern-Park (Reisbach, Germany), the operator used a conventional tower ride to create a vertical dark ride. Thaolon features a ‘Family Freefall Tower’ by Zierer, a rotating tower with five separate 2-seat gondolas that move up and down. In the corners of the enclosed tower, guests can witness several mysterious scenes of dwarfs at work.
It’s a simple concept that shows creativity from the park and the ride’s designers.
A special effect
Almost every vertical dark ride created over the past 30 years has revolved around a drop ride. Whether it is a possessed elevator or the gallows, the audience experiences a free fall during the final moments of the attraction. In many cases, it is not necessarily the height of the drop that creates the thrill but the suspense of when the drop will happen.
However, eventually, riders who have ridden the attraction a couple of times will know when the drop happens. Or do they?
Crazy Professor in Conny-Land (Lipperswil, Switzerland) is the latest vertical dark ride. It was designed by Conny-Land and Farmer Attraction Development and features a drop-ride system by Ride Engineers Switzerland.
The attraction tells the story of the main character (a professor, of course) who invented an anti-gravity machine. The machine works and brings riders all the way to the top of the building, but when it short-circuits, the machine drops down.
The future is up for the vertical dark ride
The ride was designed with multiple endings. As Roman Rothe, technical director of Ride Engineers Switzerland explains: “Once you’re at the very top, there are three different scenarios on how you drop: Either you just go up and you drop. You go up, the seats tilt forward and you drop tilted. Or you go up, tilt forwards, tilt back and then drop. It’s unpredictable.”
But that’s not all: “There’s a margin of seven seconds. Sometimes, you drop on the second one, and sometimes, you drop at the second seven. So even though you going to ride several times, you never know when you’re going to drop,” Rothe adds.
Disney’s The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Phantasialand’s Mystery Castle paved the way for a new type of experience. Currently, around 95% of the vertical dark rides consist of a gondola that only moves up and down, whether with a drop or a bungee effect.
There are still a lot of unexplored possibilities with these types of rides. Think of adding interactivity or virtual/augmented reality. Ride systems can be made more exciting by more movements. Tilting of the gondola has already been done, but swaying or perhaps even tilting the whole tower can add new thrills to the attraction.
While a drop is exciting and so far included in virtually all vertical dark rides, it is not a mandatory element for a vertical dark ride. Instead, the gondola could bungee up and down or not even move at high speeds to keep the attraction friendly for the youngest family members.
More innovations to come
Slowly more ride system suppliers are coming up with concepts for exciting attractions. ABC Rides and Ride Engineers Switzerland keep developing their ride systems, but Intamin is also entering the market. Its yet-to-be-built Ultra Tower combines a vertical tower with a simulator vehicle.
The original Tower of Terror version and Bayern- -Park’s Thaolon have in common in that they have their scenes not only above each other but also in different directions. Tower of Terror has a trackless car ride system that makes its way from one elevator to another, and the ride system of Thaolon rotates in addition to the vertical movement of the gondola. This combination of directions creates an even larger amount of possible themes and stories for the vertical dark ride.
Conclusion
Despite being invented by a major park, the concept of vertical dark rides has been widely adopted by regional and international parks. The possibility to go vertical makes stories that were previously impossible to tell with a dark ride possible. Even though the vertical dark ride has been around for almost 30 years now, it is still rare and unique, and there are still many possibilities to be discovered.
A vertical dark ride is a perfect solution for an immersive attraction in a location where ground space is limited, as it takes up less space than a traditional dark ride. For a drop, the height does not matter that much, as it is the suspense that makes it a good family thrill ride. Most important are, like any dark ride, the theme and show scenes. They give the essence to the attraction.
The capacity of vertical dark rides is generally lower, but there are always options to increase this, like adding more riders to the gondola or working with multiple drop towers at once. In the future, ride systems that can move multiple gondolas in more than one direction might solve the capacity issue. It is up to the designers and ride vendors to find the right solutions.
With more ride vendors stepping into the world of vertical dark rides, it is clear that there will be more vertical dark rides in the future. There are still so many opportunities to explore. We are not even nearly at the top of it. The vertical dark ride is still rising.
